A federal judge stated that the Justice Department appears to have broken a rule explicitly set by the court earlier this year to protect alleged killer Luigi Mangione’s right to a fair trial. Mangione is facing the death penalty over the brazen shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was killed on a New York City sidewalk in December. He pleaded not guilty to federal and state murder charges. His legal team filed a letter Tuesday complaining about the way the Trump administration has publicly smeared him, arguing that public statements presuming Mangione’s guilt could prejudice the case. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett weighed in.Garnett wrote that social media posts “by two high-ranking staff members of the Department of Justice, including within the Office of Attorney General, appear to be in direct violation” of the court’s rules against publicly commenting on a defendant’s guilt or the evidence that exists in the case. The judge had told all parties about the rule in April, making clear that it applied to the whole of the Justice Department, including Attorney General Pam Bondi.The posts in question appear to have come from Chad Gilmartin and Brian Nieves, whose LinkedIn pages say they work for the Justice Department’s Office of Public Affairs and for Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, respectively. Gilmartin appears to have shared a clip of President Donald Trump declaring that Mangione “shot someone in the back as clear as you’re looking at me,” rendering Thompson “instantly dead.” He added a comment, stating that Trump “is absolutely right.” Nieves reposted Gilmartin’s post. The judge wrote that future violations “may result in sanctions, which could include personal financial penalties, contempt of court findings, or relief specific to the prosecution of this matter.” Garnett directed federal prosecutors to explain how the violations occurred in a filing by Oct. 3. Mangione’s lawyers also took issue with the broader effort by Trump administration officials to paint their client as a left-wing extremist. Garnett said she would consider their arguments and weigh in at a later date.Mangione has been in federal lockup since his arrest at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s less than a week after Thompson’s death. Police say they found a gun in his backpack, a fake ID linked to the murder and a message in a notebook alluding to the act.He has two court hearings — one state and one federal — scheduled in early December.Close